Chapter 110: Lotus Eater (Bonus Chapter for 800 Average Subscriptions)

Woo-woo!

A black and red steam train traveled through the countryside, with snow-white pillars of smoke rising from its massive chimney.

Inside a first-class carriage.

Aaron, Clark, and Bruce occupied a small compartment, sitting opposite one another, with a small tea table in front of them.

Once the compartment door was closed, the interior became its own space, offering a high degree of secrecy.

"Even so... the slowness and vibration of this train are unavoidable."

Aaron looked at Bruce, who was carrying a large hiking backpack, shook his head, and followed behind, carrying his cane.

【I dream that one day I will be able to return to the Holy Mountain, return to Tangjila, and listen to your teachings...】

"I have confirmed it; there is no danger on the path ahead."

Beside him, Bruce exclaimed in wonder: "That serial killer who was active a hundred years ago and liked to murder young girls on rainy nights? He caused quite a sensation and panic back then..."

"The 'Lord of Hidden Corpses' is the deity who governs February... It is August now, so there should be no problem."

Aaron looked at the scenery outside the window and sighed inwardly.

Aaron nodded.

Clark said proudly: "This is an ability belonging to the 'Druid'. A 'Druid' cultivates both 'Red' and 'Pupa'. I once performed a 'History Retrospection' ritual at a Druid Holy Land, but it is a pity that my rank was too low at the time, and I only gained the abilities of 'Animal Affinity' and 'Beast Language'..."

Looking at these words filled with metaphors, Aaron, who deeply understood what kind of people the followers of 'Red' were, could not help but frown.

A layer of Spirit Wall emerged, separating the inside of the carriage from the outside.

【This reminds me of your teachings on the Holy Mountain, how to choose truly fresh lotus flowers, how to peel their fresh and tender petals, and find the delicious and juicy lotus seeds...】

"Very good, it seems your knowledge of Occultism has grown again." Clark nodded with satisfaction and took out documents and stacks of manuscripts from the briefcase at his side: "I have been investigating and searching for the birthplace of the 'Lotus Eater' for a long time. The first breakthrough was obtaining this letter during the notorious 'Rainy Night Butcher' case!"

Aaron said with a sigh, but he was secretly alert in his heart.

After considering it for a while, he still agreed to Clark's request.

He pointed to the old letter on the top of the table, signaling Aaron to open it.

Aaron glanced at it a few times and suddenly spoke.

Clark Das nodded: "This is also to lay a good foundation for Bruce... You don't need to worry about ordinary beasts in the Tangjila Mountains. What I am concerned about are the vengeful spirits or ghosts that might linger in those places... and Extraordinarys of 'Radiance' are always very good at Purification."

'Hiding in the big city yourself while sending others to explore ancient ruins—that is truly your style!' Aaron muttered to himself, then spoke: "However, the ancient history contained in those ruins is still quite valuable, isn't it?"

"After that case which shocked the nation, the Investigation Bureau carried out a brutal crackdown and encirclement of the Lotus Eater Organization, forcing them to abandon their original ancient stronghold. According to later groups of Extraordinarys, it is relatively safe there; of course, there are no Extraordinary materials or Secret Transmissions left behind..."

It involved a secret organization and a deity of the ages; his divination might have been misled!

'As expected, one still cannot rely too much on the ability of divination...'

"Yes, but later someone contacted them in a dream, and thus a secret cult that worships Ghouls and believes in the 'Lord of Hidden Corpses' appeared in reality..."

More than two hours later, the three got off the steam train, hired a carriage, and arrived at the edge of the Tangjila Mountains.

Aaron opened the letter and saw the slightly scrawled handwriting on the yellowed paper:

【Respected Mentor, I cannot wait to share with you that I have found another fresh lotus flower. It is so beautiful, so swaying and graceful...】

This history professor immediately took leave, and the three of them took the steam train together, preparing to head to the Tangjila Mountains.

They landed on Clark Das's shoulders, chirping, and then flew toward the sky.

"Communicating with animals?"

Suddenly, several colorful birds fell from the canopy in front.

"Alright, now we can talk about the destination."

"Leave it to me."

Chirp!

But all in all, it was better than third class.

Clark Das, dressed in hunter's gear and looking very capable, walked into the jungle first.

"Ahem... This was discovered two years ago among the belongings of the 'Rainy Night Butcher' after he was sentenced to death. The original handwriting was hidden by some mysterious means... But as a 'Secret History Scholar', I have a pair of eyes that are good at discovering secrets..."

At this time, train seats were divided into first, second, and third class. A first-class ticket was this kind of small compartment, while second class only had seats piled up in rows.

"Lotus Eater?" Aaron inexplicably thought of the content in that book, "Dreamwalking Notes": "That seems to be a type of Spirit World Creature..."

Especially in the carriage behind the furnace, if the windows were not closed tightly, a large amount of coal ash would immediately drift in. Many third-class passengers turned into black people after getting off the train.

"History Retrospection?" Bruce also asked curiously: "Teacher, what is that?"

Clark sighed: "It is precisely because of this that those secret organizations and cult groups can never be completely wiped out, because the Investigation Bureau cannot stop people from dreaming... Even ordinary people who do not know the 'Key of Dreams' incantation may come into contact with the Dream Realm while sleepwalking."

Clark Das was like a capable master of Wilderness Survival, his tone full of confidence.

Aaron's cane was placed to the side, and he held a newspaper in his hand, feeling as if a female attendant pushing a cart full of candy would walk past the aisle outside the window at any moment.

Clark coughed and stuffed tobacco into his pipe: "The ruin we are going to is an abandoned small mountain village in the Tangjila Mountains. According to my research, it has a history of over three hundred years and was once the birthplace of the 'Lotus Eater' organization."

Clark Das coughed, his face flushed with excitement: "After that, I have been tracking the ancient stronghold of the Lotus Eater organization. I have hired many groups of archaeologists and Extraordinarys to go deep into the Tangjila Mountains, and I finally found it recently!"

"Exactly."

"Let's go!"

"Yes!"

Clark pulled the curtains shut and threw out a silver Talisman.

"This is the core ability of our Secret History Scholar lineage!" Clark glanced at Aaron: "However, many people know about it, and even if they know, they cannot target it, so it is fine to talk about it..."

He was clearly preparing to conduct a lesson on the path of 'Mystery', and he did not mind Aaron listening in.

(End of chapter)